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Houston Rockets: Ranking the last 10 first round picks

By Corey Rausch

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 30: Clint Capela #15 of the Houston Rockets dunks against the Washington Wizards during the first half at Capital One Arena on October 30, 2019 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 30: Clint Capela #15 of the Houston Rockets dunks against the Washington Wizards during the first half at Capital One Arena on October 30, 2019 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Houston Rockets (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
Houston Rockets (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

8. Sam Dekker

Jumping forward in time, Sam Dekker was selected 18th in the 2015 draft after a stellar run in the NCAA tournament for the University of Wisconsin. Unfortunately, he would injure his back and miss most of his rookie season, appearing in only three games for the Houston Rockets. He followed this up with a solid second season, including a game where he scored 30 points. Unlike the previous two players on this list, his skills clearly translated to winning basketball.

That summer the Rockets pulled off another big trade involving young players (Dekker, Darrun Hilliard, DeAndre Liggins, Kyle Wiltjer, Montrezl Harrell), veterans (Patrick Beverly and Lou Williams) and a future first-round pick to bring Chris Paul to the team.

Related Story. Rockets: Tom Thibodeau fit could be most intriguing. light

Dekker would play one season in Los Angeles before being traded again to Cleveland over the summer of 2018. He was traded again mid-season, this time to the Wizards to end his NBA career. He spent the last season playing in Russia and may one day return to the NBA if the right situation presents itself.

Obviously the Chris Paul trade worked out well for the Rockets. Some only measure success in championships but Paul’s two seasons in Houston were great despite the lack of title. In the first season, they made the Western Conference Finals, the first time in Paul’s career and he averaged 18.6 points, 7.9 assists and 1.7 steals for the 65 win team. The following season they would make it to the second round.

The biggest issue this team had was not being able to overcome the Golden State Warriors. While it is easy to make those jokes NBA history is littered with great teams that were unable to upend the greatest team of their generation. That should not make their accomplishments any lesser.

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